8 Albums Out Today You Should Listen to Now: St. Vincent, Kurt Vile, Migos’ Quavo, and More

With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums and projects from St. Vincent, Kurt Vile, Quavo, Usher and Zaytoven, Yowler, Matthew Dear, Ella Mai, and Kim Kashkashian. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week.

Annie Clark’s last St. Vincent album was MASSEDUCTION, but note the spelling difference—this one’s called MassEducation. It’s all the same songs, except they’re stripped-back piano-focused renditions recorded with longtime collaborator, Doveman’s Thomas Bartlett. “We neither rehearsed nor spoke about how to approach any song, but rather, played two to three live takes, picked the best one, and trusted in the feeling of the moment,” she said of the recording process.

The latest album from Philly guitar hero Kurt Vile has arrived. Bottle It In features the previously released singles “Bassackwards” and “Loading Zones,” plus appearances from Kim Gordon, Cass McCombs, Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa, and many others. Later this month, Vile heads to Europe on his world tour with his band the Violators.

The debut solo album from Migos’ Quavo is full of guests. It includes some go-to collaborators like Takeoff, Offset, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Drake, and Pharrell. It also features Madonna, Kid Cudi, Saweetie, Lil Baby, and 21 Savage, among others. Plus, it includes his previously released singles “Bubble Gum,” “Lamb Talk,” and “Workin Me.”

Early on Thursday, Usher revealed some unexpected news—that he and Zaytoven would release a surprise new “collaborative project” later that night. “A” is an eight-song record with only two features—Future and Gunna.

Detroit producer Matthew Dear is back with his first new album under his own name in six years. When he announced the album, he shared two new songs called “Bunny’s Dream” and “Echo.” The album also features two collaborations with Tegan and Sara—“Horses” and “Bad Ones.”

R&B singer Ella Mai found a hit with her single “Boo’d Up,” and now, she’s released her debut self-titled album, executive produced by DJ Mustard. Yes, it features “Boo’d Up,” as well as her singles “Trip” and “Naked.” It follows her previous three EPs: Time, Change, and Ready. Over the summer, she released a “Boo’d Up” remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Quavo.

The Grammy-winning Armenian-American violist Kim Kashkashian has been making classical records since the late ’70s and has been recording for ECM since 1985. The Detroit native’s latest album is a collection of Bach cello suites reinterpreted for viola.